The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is the first book in the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. It was originally self-published, with the help of a Kickstarter campaign, and was subsequently picked up by Hodder & Stoughton.

Plot Summary
When Rosemary Harper joins the crew of the Wayfarer, she isn't expecting much. The Wayfarer, a patched up ship that's seen better days, offers her everything she could possibly want: a small, quiet spot to call home for a while, adventure in far-off corners of the galaxy, and distance from her troubled past.

But Rosemary gets more than she bargained for with the Wayfarer. The crew is a mishmash of species and personalities, from Sissix, the friendly reptilian pilot, to Kizzy and Jenks, the constantly sparring engineers who keep the ship running. Life on board is chaotic, but more or less peaceful - exactly what Rosemary wants.

Until the crew are offered the job of a lifetime: the chance to build a hyperspace tunnel to a distant planet. They'll earn enough money to live comfortably for years... if they survive the long trip through war-torn space without endangering any of the fragile alliances that keep the galaxy peaceful.

But Rosemary isn't the only person on board with secrets to hide, and the crew will soon discover that space may be vast, but spaceships are very small indeed.

Wayfarer Crew

 * Rosemary Harper - Human clerk aboard the Wayfarer, and a new arrival to the ship.
 * Ashby Santoso - The ship's Human captain.
 * Sissix - The ship's Aandrisk pilot.
 * Kizzy Shao - The Wayfarer's Human mech tech.
 * Jenks - The Human comp tech.
 * Dr Chef - The ship's Grum doctor and cook.
 * Artis Corbin - The Human algaeist.
 * Ohan - The ship's Sianat Pair Navigator.
 * Lovey - The ship's AI.

Other Characters

 * Pepper - A Human tech expert, and friend of Jenks and Kizzy.
 * Pei - An Aeluon cargo runner who is in a secret romantic relationship with Ashby.
 * Mas - A Solitary Sianat living on Arun.

Awards and nominations

 * Included in the win for the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Series
 * Winner of the 2017 Prix Julia Verlanger
 * Longlisted for the 2016 Women's Prize for Fiction
 * Nominated for the 2016 British Fantasy Awards for Best Newcomer
 * Nominated for the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Award
 * Nominated for the 2016 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign-Language Novel
 * Nominated for the 2015 Kitschies for Best Debut